Just another day

It has been a good day filled with great new adventures. Jason and I started the day out with a nice trail run. It was challenging but always great to run with my amazing man.

Antioch Dallas is starting a one month feast on Gods word. We were encouraged to fast from something this month and spend that time in Gods word seeking Him - to experience our God! It is exciting and I can't wait to know Him more.

The world of fermenting is so fascinating. I love cereal!! Unfortunately, I came across some information describing extrusion and how harmful cereal is, even organic. I found this fun recipe for a probiotic breakfast. I made a batch and am very excited to see how it goes this week. Here's the recipe.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/easy-nt-friendly-cold-cerealinstant-oatmeal/

I'm also attempting to ferment fruit from the following information.

http://m.wikihow.com/Ferment-Fruit

I made some fresh almond milk this morning. Almonds need to be soaked for our body to digest and utilize their nutrients. The store brand doesn't soak their almonds and there are chemicals in their milk to help persevere the milk. Almond milk is easy to make and Sprouts always has great sales on almonds!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/guide-how-to-make-almond-milk/

The most exciting science project I have in the house at this time is my attempt to grow a SCOBY to brew my own Kombucha. I think it is working. I'd take a picture but I'm scared I'll mess it up. Haha!! I opened it up today and I saw a thin slimy like film growing and it smelled like a freshly opened bottle of GT Synergy Kombucha!!! I am so excited!

http://www.paprikahead.com/2009/07/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-from.html?m=1

Journey to Spirit led Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Health

I find myself in a weird place these days. Life has thrown some unexpected curve balls, some of which have been amazing blessings and other hardships which have knocked me down (I wish I could say they always brought me to my knees). As I have spent some time reflecting, I have realized I am not able to say I am totally happy with the person I am today. I have a heavy burden of guilt, disappointment and fear which weigh heavily on me. I often wonder and beat myself up about the “what ifs”. I am 30 years old and I wish I had my stuff together more than I do, but reality is I am here and it is a place to start. I doubt anyone will ever follow this thread, but this is my form of accountability and a place for me to see progress, document memories, and hopefully push me to vulnerability.

My life vision is to be a woman of genuine vulnerability who passionately lives life in the midst of blessing or struggle in a way that draws others to the love of Jesus Christ.

I fail at this often. My main struggle is a hard heart. I have become an expert at building walls around my heart to protect myself even at the expense of hurting others. I am very ashamed of this and I repent. I admit it is sinful and wrong. I claim God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”. Being married, I am forced to make the decision of being vulnerable, loving, and submissive or putting up my walls of defense daily.

Saying Goodbye to Colorado

I had an amazing opportunity to participate in an altitude study this weekend. I met some great people, saw beautiful scenery, was physically challenged, shared meals in a mountain home, and had a little personal retreat with God. It has been a fantastic weekend.

We flew in Friday and were blessed with amazing weather. The bus driver drove us straight to Summit High School where we ran the timed 2 mile run. It was rough to say the least. I added 2 whole minutes to my Dallas time and humbly was the last to cross the finish line.

Saturday morning we woke up and went on a 3.75 mile hike. Doesn't sound too bad, but possibly one of the hardest things I have ever done. When we started it was about 29 degrees out and lightly snowing. The hike started off with gradual inclines and a wide trail. However, by the third mile marker the trail had become steep and was covered with snow. I had to walk in the footprints of those who had gone before me. The snow was at my knees on either side of me. The wind had picked up and the snow was coming down at a steady pace. My face, fingers and toes were on fire and all I could concentrate on was placing one foot in front of the other. I tried to look up at the scenery, but I was exhausted. My two goals were to finish and not to take a break. This was a timed hike; my time 1 hour and 45 minutes. Don't judge. We found out later the temperature had dropped to 19 degrees - pretty cold for a bunch of people used to the Dallas heat.

My favorite part of this weekend was the time I had to get alone with my Heavenly Father. I spent some time reading and talking with Him about life. He blessed me with a majestic sunset and sunrise. I tried to capture His beauty and creativity in the pictures below. God spoke some truths to me this weekend and I believe He is leading me to trust and depend on Him more than ever before. I guess this is the journey He has for us all :)

I am excited about walking in His truth and His freedom. I must tear down and totally destroy the strongholds in my life. Go in and recapture all that has been taken captive, and put the wall where it belongs- at it's entry point of my life!!

2nd Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So, I ask you to join me. Let's take back what the enemy has tried to claim in our lives. Jesus has the victory and promises freedom and abundant life. The enemy is a deceiver, liar, and thief. He wants us to believe we will always struggle with the same sins and that freedom is only for Heaven. Don't believe it my sisters and brothers. Go to His word and see what He says.